January 2013 Archives

Find a still image or clip from a television show, film or video game that you feel exemplifies a compelling use of color.

Post the link to your image or clip and briefly introduce it (tell us what movie or show it's from, provide a little context). Then explain why/how it's a good example of using color effectively. What color choices are being made? What kind of impact to these color choices have? How might these choices effect what the viewer looks at, what they pay attention to, and/or how they feel?

The first thing I could think of about lighting was the dark, gloomy look in film noir. The latest that I saw was Chinatown. The ending of the film is shot in low lighting, making it difficult to see the surrounding area. Even the characters' faces are covered in shadow sometimes.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari a classic German expressionism silent film. The film is regarded as one of the most famous in the progression of the horror genre. This scene in particular shows the sleepwalker kidnapping a virgin. Being the expressionistic and horror film it was meant to be, the film definitely has significant lighting effects.

This photo makes use of chiaroscuro lighting and low key lighting to create contrast between the environment and the characters. The space and the occupancy of light is on the sleepwalking almost like a spotlight. This is to show the situation and how, at that moment, it is critical that he get away. The use of these lighting techniques and how it shows contrast, especially in horror films, is to show the mystery or perhaps the evil in characters. In this photo, the contrast is so strong between the sleepwalker and the virgin, showing how different and opposite the two beings are, almost light good from evil.

This picture is of Gisele Bundchen in a recent Versace ad campaign. What I really love about this picture is the colors. The first I saw this, I was blown away by the beauty of the colors and lighting that they used. The blue florescent lights and the shadowing was done really nicely. If you all haven't seen this campaign ad in full, each of the ads have this blue color to it but the shadowing on all of them are different. Because they are shooting not only the model but the clothing especially. So the lighting that they used always had to be different.
In this specific picture from the collection, I think they used Key Light and Backlight because that means that the back light rims top and separates the subject from the background. Also the key light is clearly on one side of her because the other side in faded black. The key light is the ultimate source of illumination and reveals the basic shape of the object.

This picture is from Rear Window (1954) that I watched in 2010. This picture, undoubtedly, shows low-key lighting which is a very important lighting in the movie. Low-key lighting usually leaves most of the background as well as part of the scene dark. Overall, the light is very few, so we can only see part of the character. Low-key lighting usually is used as a way to show a mysterious person or a person who is going to commit crime. Also, even in some horror films, low-key lighting is really popular to be used to show horrific atmosphere. In this movie, Jeff, a photojournalist, breaks his leg in an accident, so every day, he stays at home, watching his neighbor's life through the rear window in the apartment. However, one day he notices Thorwald (who is the guy in the picture) is cleaning a large knife and handsaw, and his wife is gone, so Jeff suspects that Thorwald kills and split his wife. Jeff wants to prove that, but Thorwald notices that Jeff is watching him every day. Thus, Thorwald tries to kill Jeff so that there won't be any people who suspect him anymore. This picture is the time when Thorwald enters Jeff's apartment. With low-key lighting, audience can feel mysterious towards Thorwald because shadows hide most of his face, giving us a sense of horror. Also, the shadows on his face not only cover his face, but also represent his purpose and what he will do is unclear. Therefore, I think using low-key lighting can vividly portray Thorwald, a murderer who killed his wife, and tried to kill Jeff.

This image is from Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. This is one of the first scenes where Leonardo DiCaprio is first introduction. He is acting as a US Marshall. The diffused/ambient style lighting gives it a very realistic style. In this psycho thriller, the appearance of reality is very important.

Hi, sorry for the delay of my post, I had some difficulty getting it to work.

My name is Kevin Gam and I'm studying communications. A fun fact about me is that I very much enjoy traveling, this last semester I traveled about 15,000 miles. Mostly by driving.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhze3-poTe8

This is a season finale to a season in Castle, my favorite television show. I really enjoy this scene because throughout all of Castle, the two main characters keep denying their affection for each other, and here they finally let out their feelings to each other.

This clip is from a movie called "Ghost." The lighting in the end scene is so prominent that I decided it would be good to analyze.
If you haven't seen the movie, be prepared for spoilers. First off, Sam (Patrick Swayze) gets murdered in the beginning of the movie and stays around as a ghost to protect his love interest, Molly (Demi Moore). As the movie progresses we find out who murdered Sam. Sam will try anything to protect Molly, but because ghosts can't be seen or heard it is hard for him to do so. Latter he learns how to move objects as a ghost and also meets Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a medium, who can hear him and helps him out. This scene follows immediately after the death of the "bad guy" in the movie.
Since Sam was only a ghost so he could protect Molly, this last scene shows his goodbye and him being lifted to heaven. The lighting at first is dimly focused on both Molly and Sam's faces. We then see a light appear that becomes brighter and brighter from behind Sam that allows Molly to finally see her loved one. This brightening light exemplifies the heavens coming to take Sam, but allows him his last goodbye to Molly. The same light also embraces Molly, symbolizing the good in her life now arriving. The backlight from behind Sam, which also flickers onto Molly, represents their ongoing flame of love in their hearts. By using a lot of low key lighting in this scene it really contrasts both Molly's and Sam's facial expressions towards each other making the emotion that much more powerful.
As you can see these lighting choices in this scene are very important to the meaning and helps tie the movie together.

Looks like I'm a bit late on this, but I'm gonna post it anyways. I go by Tou, so you don't have to spend the extra second saying my full name. You can if you want, or some variation of it. Other people have come up with their own. I'm a junior majoring in Comm Studies. I'm taking this class because it sounded pretty cool in the description, and it made me want to learn what it's like to be part of the production crew. A lot of people I know urged me to join theater in high school, but I never did. Over winter break, I went up north to Lutsen for snowboarding, but the night we arrived, it had rained a bit and the slopes had frozen. I ended up falling halfway through the day and injured my wrist.

Favorite tv/movie scenes...I can't seem to pick one out. Well hmm...one just popped up. It's the ending scene to Memories of Murder. It's a Korean film about detectives to chase after a serial killer. *SPOILERS BOUND* In the end scene, one of the detectives returns to the scene of the murder several years later, and after a talk with a child passing by, he has a revelation and turns to face the audience as the movie fades out. I'm not a big Asian film fan (except old school martial arts films), but I really do enjoy most movies with that actor. The latest being "The Good, The Bad, The Weird." It's hilarious. Watch it.

Hi everyone, my name is Stephanie Rhawie. I am a senior and will be graduating from the U in December. I am a Communications major and took a few classes in Retail Merchandising because I want to have a career in buying or trends-forecasting for clothing and/or accessories. I took this class because I would rather be doing something productive and active in a class. I think it will be fun once everyone gets in the swing of things.
One of the best things I have ever experienced was traveling to Europe for 2 months. Definitely an eye opener and it really changed me culturally.
I have so many favorite movies and shows that I don't know how I can pick one. But like I mentioned in class, one of my new favorite shows is Sex and the City. This scene is many girls dreams to go through her closet and try on past outfits she has wore throughout the show (super girly, I know).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eo3vHKimpi4

Find a still image or clip from a television show, film or video game that you feel exemplifies an interesting use of light and/or lighting techniques.

Post the link to your image or clip and briefly introduce it (tell us what movie or show it's from, provide a little context). Then explain what lighting concept(s) or technique(s) it exemplifies. What lighting choices were made? What kind of an impact do those choices have?

Hey everyone sorry this is late! My name is Rachel Patterson. I am a senior here at the University of Minnesota studying Communications and Mass Communications. I took this class because I love movies and television and see myself in a career in the entertainment industry. My biggest dream is to work on NBC's Today show!

I just watched Pitch Perfect a couple days ago (which is absolutely hilarious) and thought I would share a clip from it to start off the week! Hope you enjoy!

My name is Megan McDougall. I recently relocated to Minneapolis this past summer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am a full-time student in the Communications department. Communicating is most literally a passion. I love networking and getting to know new people. I work in sales at a store named Madewell and it's the perfect mixture of meeting new people and styling clothes. In my free time, you can find me coloring or reading books with my ride or die, Ivy. She is the sassiest, most adorable 15 month old girl that I am so lucky to call my daughter. Being a single mama isn't easy, but it's the most rewarding and spectacular journey i've been on.

I'll leave y'all with a clip from arguably the best show ever made. In history. Here's a little Arrested Development. You can thank me later.

Hey guys, so my name is Robert Blumenberg but i usually go by Rob. Like I said in class dancing is the biggest part of my life and hopefully i can keep it that way (which is also one reason why i decided to take this class). I started dancing when i was about elevin, but just with friends. A few years later i started taking hip hop and lyrical classes and have been doing so ever since. I now currently choreograph for multiple studios/organizations/etc. and hope to add more!

I was drawn to this class because something that a lot of dancers/choreographers like me like to do is to take videos of their dances and put them online to be discovered by people looking to hire. Taking this class will hopefully give me the skills that I am looking for to make my videos look more professional and in turn, rack in some more views!

Here is a clip from one of my favorite movies of all time, The Raid Redemption. To give you some background essentially a SWAT team infiltrates a building owned by a drug lord in hope of catching him. Unfortunately they get surrounded from the outside and the teams only hope is to make it to the top of the building where the boss is. The clip (which is graphic so fair warning) is of a fight scene between the lead SWAT member, his older brother, and the mob boss' right hand man. Why i chose a martial arts scene like this is because i honestly think its amazing that actors can create these fights and then everyone else involved with the production uses different camera lighting and angles to make it look like the actors are actually beating the crap out of each other.

Friends and everyone who he has introduced to know him as Jay. His full name is Jiaming Wu. He is of Chinese origin, born in China, raised in the US. He lives with his parents in the suburbs of Saint Paul. All his family are either in the east or west coasts of America. Being the pioneers of the family, they started a life in the middle of no where. Life hasn't really been a breeze for him, it took a lot of hard work and searching to get to where he is now. He recently, as in last semester, changed his major from economics to communications. It was a hectic semester and he was glad winter break came when it did. He took advantage of the break and traveled to China alone. Seeing his grandparents and other family drew tears to his eyes as he hasn't seen them in quite a long time. The trip was a mere one month compared to the long long time he spent in the US. To date, the best experience he has ever felt was a Chinese wedding. The wedding was a mix of modern and traditional taste. It was a very grandiose occasion in which much money was spent. As he said, his favorite movie is "A Walk to Remember".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqpPFT-F-bs

Here is clip from How I Met Your Mother. This clip is also a parody of movie trailers. HIMYM takes a realistic approach to friends and dating in the huge jungle of New York. It is full of mature and creative humor that one can really appreciate.

Hey, my names Amanda but I go by Manna. I was born in Grand Forks, ND. My parents are Shannon and Bob Kopecky, I have a brother named Brandon, and a sister named Lindsay. I have lived in North Dakota, South Dakota, Idaho, England, and now Minnesota. I went to school in England from middle school till I graduated high school. I loved living there and the european lifestyle. Because of this time in England I want to be a youth leader for military kids. I can relate to them more and I cannot wait to work with them for the rest of my life. Most of my friends live all over the world and I get to travel all over the world to see them, so you could say I love to travel. Over the break I was able to add another country to my list and have now been to 22 countries.

Hey everyone, my name is Molly Mangan. I am from Madison Wisconsin. Cheerleading has always been a huge part of my life. I started when I was in 3rd grade all the way up to my Sophomore year at the University of Minnesota where I was on the national All girl team. My dream in life is to be a sports broadcaster and interact with everyone behind the scenes. Traveling has also been a huge part of my life. With my family, I have traveled to Spain, China, Thailand and many other places. Over break I visited my friend who goes to school in New York City.

I was drawn to the media production course because it was a focus elective for Sports Management which is my major. I thought it was perfect for me since sports broadcasting is a career I have in mind.

The clip that I decided to share was Herb Brooks speech delivered by Kurt Russel from the movie Miracle. I get inspired everytime I watch it and I always listened to it before competitions or just to get pumped up. It's also pretty cool that the USA teams roster had a ton of gophers on it, including St. Pauls own Herb Brooks.

Hi everyone, my name is Kelsey Deimel and I am from Waukesha, Wisconsin. I absolutely love to travel and experience different cultures. When I was younger I was involved in a group called People to People, which was one of the best experiences I had as a kid. With them I had the opportunity to travel to Australia, England and France. One of my favorite experiences in Australia was getting to watch the Aborigines dance to the didgeridoo and learning how to throw a boomerang correctly.

I was drawn to the Media Production course because I am a Communications Major and thought that this course would be a difficult yet interesting class. I loved to create music videos with my friends in high school and I believe this class will help me further my hobby by developing better production skills and techniques. The only experience I have with professional equipment is with the lighting and sound controls in my old high school theatre. This class can therefore teach me how to use different professional equipment and broaden my knowledge of media production.

A clip I would like to share with all of you is a trailer of the recently released movie of Les Miserables. I loved this movie's artistic vision and it was so interesting to see how different the director's ideas were, especially compared to the other live musicals I have seen of Les Miserables. The actors and actresses did amazing and it exceeded my expectations, which were very high because it has been my favorite musical since the third grade. I highly recommend seeing this movie, but I will warn you that it is entirely in song and is very depressing.

Hello everyone, my name is Yanfei. You guys can call me Johnny. I am from China. I am really glad to study in University of Minnesota. I am really interested in photography. I just went to Louisiana and Texas during the winter break, and I took a lot of photos. The ten days trip was really awesome, and I saw a lot of interesting thing, such as cow boys culture and some wild animals.

As for movies, I think I like Die Hard series best, and I have watched them many times. Even though some of my friends said Die hard series are not real, which cannot happen in the real life. I think movie is always a tool which can show something that people wish they can do. Also, I really like Bruce Wills' acting in the movie. Unlike some roles having some super natural power in some movies, in Die Hard series, he acts like a normal people. There are no exaggeration when fighting with his enemies. The only thing may be sometimes he is so lucky that he is so hard to die. Besides, he always says a lot of funny things and witty idioms even though he is under dangerous situation. I really wish I could speak English as funny as him. Here below is the movie trailer of DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE.

Hello everyone, this is Allyson. I'll get us started. One of the best things I've done somewhat recently was to take a canopy tour in the Blueridge Mountains. Basically, it's a lot of zip-lining between trees (like this person) and a tiny bit of rappelling. It was amazing. I can't wait to take another canopy tour. I would love to take a Redwood canopy tour sometime.

In addition to teaching COMM 3201 and writing about the digital game industry, I love watching TV. I'm particularly into sci-fi/fantasy/superhero related shows, very silly comedies, and all sorts of shows from the '90s. This clip is from a show that fits solidly in the "silly" category. "Look Around You" is a British comedy that spoofs 1970s/1980s educational films. I love the writing, and I appreciate the detail with which they created an aesthetic appropriate to the genre & time period, from sound design to set design to performance & video quality. (The "Maths" episode is one of my favorites, but it's a bit longer - just under 9 minutes).

Hi everyone, and welcome to the course blog for 3201.004. For your first post, introduce yourself (again) to your fellow 3201-ers. Tell us one thing about you that we didn't already learn in class (What did you do over the break? What is the best thing you've ever done/experienced? What drew you to a media production course? Etc.).

Then, share one image or clip from one of your favorite films, television shows or video games. Tell us what you like about the image/clip or about the television show/film/video game in general.

Please respond to this prompt in a separate post. If you are enrolled in this class you have already been added as an author of this blog. Log in to UThink and then create a new entry for this blog. Please use #introductions as a tag for this post (When you make your post, you'll see a field below for "tags". Type "#introductions" there).